Down East Partnership for Children
Launch every child as a healthy, lifelong learner by the end of the third grade. This is accomplished through working across the four building blocks of early education. 1) Health and development are on track beginning before birth 2) Families are engaged and supported by coordinated communities 3) Early care and education environments are high quality and 4) Ready Schools - Teaching and learning environments for K-3 students are effective inside and outside, 365 days a year.
Down East Partnership for Children at a glance
In short: Down East Partnership for Children gave $89K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $45K), mostly in North Carolina. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $89,214
- -36.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- -33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $44,607
- -5.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $44,607
- Total assets
- $714,648
- +15.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Down East Partnership for Children
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Down East Partnership for Children
Who Down East Partnership for Children funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Edgecombe County Public Schools ($45K). Together the top 2 received $89K.
Grant Size Distribution
15 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 11 grants of 15 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Down East Partnership for Children gives
- Giving fell 36% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $89K (2025) to $188K (2021). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $89K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Edgecombe County Public Schools Tarboro, NC | Literacy Program | $44,607 |
| Nash County Public Schools Nashville, NC | Early Childhood Transition | $44,607 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $714,648 | $7,119,753 | $7,009,297 | $89,214 | 2 | $22,534 |
| 2024 | $616,805 | $7,039,895 | $6,965,488 | $141,028 | 3 | $11,352 |
| 2023 | $567,083 | $6,545,319 | $6,913,613 | $143,237 | 3 | $11,978 |
| 2022 | $901,285 | $6,638,364 | $6,486,664 | $140,472 | 3 | $21,165 |
| 2021 | $738,348 | $6,689,026 | $6,673,530 | $188,217 | 4 | $11,907 |
| 2020 | $723,739 | $6,648,844 | $6,542,074 | $186,831 | 5 | $12,408 |
| 2019 | $540,681 | $6,429,604 | $6,360,483 | $181,386 | 5 | $10,510 |
About Down East Partnership for Children
Based on IRS filings
Down East Partnership for Children is a public charity focused on Education, based in Rocky Mount, NC. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $715K in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $89K. Net investment income was $23K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Down East Partnership for Children is led by Henrietta Zalkind, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 26 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Henrietta Zalkind
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
37.5 hrs/week
$100K (2019) → $119K (2025)
Trent Mohrbutter
Chair
Member → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Eric Evans
Member
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Tanya Heath
Member
Designee → Member, 2020
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Betty Battle
Member
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lew Hunnicutt
Member
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Melissa Dancy-Smith
Designee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Steve Ellis
Member
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Leigh Daughtridge
Member
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Linda Knight
Member
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Natalie Bess
Treasurer
Designee → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Wendy Wilson
Member
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Michelle Etheridge
Secretary
Member → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Benton Moss
Vice Chair
Member → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Durrell Petway
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Gary Lee
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Patricia Bell-Spruill
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Shermekka Williams
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Tia Foula
Designee
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Andrew Bryan
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Liz Lord
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Mary Jane Lyonnais
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Melissa Corso
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Ryan Cox
Designee
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Stacie Shatzer
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Tyler Gupton
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Former officers (30)
- Former: Adrienne Covington (2019–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Frenchy Davis (2019–2024) — Member
- Former: Natema Drummond (2019–2024) — Member
- Former: Shane Lancaster (2019–2024) — Member
- Former: Ashley Reynolds (2022–2024) — Member
- Former: Michael Myrick (2022–2024) — Designee
- Former: Glenda Lawrence-Knight (2023–2024) — Member
- Former: Robert Yarbrough (2023–2024) — Member
- Former: Tikela Alston (2024) — Member
- Former: Catherine Roche (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Debby Futrell (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Monique Smith (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Sherron Deal (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Stacy Sumner Jesso (2019–2023) — Chair
- Former: Valerie Bridges (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Amy Pridgen-Hamlett (2021–2023) — Member
- Former: Bob League (2019–2022) — Member
- Former: Gloria Sutton (2019–2022) — Designee
- Former: Rusty Holderness (2019–2022) — Member
- Former: Sorell Massenburg (2019–2022) — Member
- Former: Fred Belfield Jr. (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Jodi Sprouse (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Karen Lachapelle (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Paula Flythe (2019–2021) — Designee
- Former: Jama Greene (2019–2020) — Board Chair
- Former: William Johnson (2020) — Designee
- Former: Art Bradley (2019) — Member
- Former: Bill Carver (2019) — Member
- Former: Mark Cockrell (2019) — Designee
- Former: Shelton Jefferies (2019) — Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $119K, to Henrietta Zalkind (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Down East Partnership for Children
How much does Down East Partnership for Children give each year?
Down East Partnership for Children gave $89K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $141K across 3 grants.
How large is Down East Partnership for Children?
Down East Partnership for Children reported $715K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $7.1M.
What is Down East Partnership for Children?
Down East Partnership for Children is a public charity focused on Education, based in Rocky Mount, NC. It holds $715K in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Down East Partnership for Children operate?
Down East Partnership for Children has awarded grants in North Carolina.
What is Down East Partnership for Children's EIN?
Down East Partnership for Children's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1859313. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 24, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Down East Partnership for Children's focus areas in our free grants database
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Down East Partnership for Children down — hundreds of funders to go?